Latch means for retractable ball pens



B. D. SMITH LATCH MEANS FOR RETRACTABLE BALL. PENS Filed Dec. 14, 1953 JNVENTOR. BLANCHARD D. SMITH BY 725cm & MWL

TTORNEYJ July 30, 1957 United States Patent() LATCH MEANS FOR RETRACTABLE BALL PENS Blanchard D. Smith, Atlanta, Ga., assignor to Scrpto, Inc., Atlanta, Ga., a corporation of Georgia Application December 14, 1953, Serial No. 398,121 2 Claims. (Cl. 120-42.03)

This invention relates in general to retractable ball pens of the type in which a ball point and reservoir unit is made retractable so that it may be alternatively withdrawn within the pen barrel when not in use or projected from the barrel for writing when desired, and in particular to an improved latch means for holding the ball point unit at projected position and releasing it for retraction as desired.

Briefly described, the latch mechanism of the present invention is characterized by a composite plunger member slidably assembled within a barrel housing formed with a fixed latch keeper, and arranged so that one component of the plunger member is manually operable for directing another component into engagement with the latch keeper at the projected position of the ball point unit, while the other component is made manually accessible for operation to release the latch keeper whenever engaged therewith. Also, the composite plunger member is arranged so that the component thereof engaging the latch keeper is maintained in such engagement under a pressure directed angularly with respect to the longitudinal axis of the pen barrel to provide a particularly secure latching engagement while at the same time leaving the latch means easily releasable.

These and other features of the present invention are described in detail below in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is `an elevation, with portions in section, of a retractable ball pen incorporating a latch means arranged according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken substantially on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the upper -sectioned portion of Fig. 1 illustrating further the manner in which the latch means operates.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the reference numeral 10 indicates generally a retractable ball pen embodying the present invention in a form incorporating a barrel housing formed by a tubular barrel 11 fitted at its rear end with an assembly sleeve 12 carrying a cover cap 13.

The tubular barrel 11 is preferably formed in accordance with the disclosure of copending application Serial No. 386,946 led October 19, 1953, for slidably housing and laterally supporting an ink reservoir tube 14 formed of compressible plastic material and having .a ball point element 15 iitted at the forward end thereof for projection to writing position through a forwardly tapering writing end of the tubular barrel 11 at which an inwardly facing annular shoulder 16 is arranged as a bottoming seat for the ball point element 15, all as disclosed at length in the above noted copending application. While this previously disclosed form for the tubular barrel 11 in relation to the ink tube 14 and ball point element 15 is preferred for use with the latch means of the present invention, any other generally comparable form of pen barrel and retractably housed ink tube and ball point element can be operated equally well by the latch means of this invention.

2,800,882 Patented July 30, 1957.

ICC

The assembly sleeve 12 has a portion thereof arranged, as indicated at 17, for threaded engagement within the rear end of the tubular barrel 11, which engagement renders the assembly sleeve 12 detachable from the tubular barrel 11 to provide for replacement of the ink tube 14 and ball point element 15 whenever required, as will appear more fully below. The forward end of the threaded assembly sleeve portion 17 terminates at an inwardly extending annular ange 18 which supports a bias spring 19 fork the latch means. Rearwardly of the threaded portion 17, the assembly sleeve 12 is shouldered outwardly at 20, Ito a further tubular portion 21 of en-v larged diameter. This enlarged tubular portion 21 has the cover cap 13 pressed in xed relation thereon, and the cover cap 13 is in turn formed with a rear inwardly extending annular ange 22 so that the cover cap and assembly sleeve `together form a housing for the latch means. The shouldered portion 20 of the assembly sleeve 12 may be employed further to grip an assembly ring portion 23 of a pocket clip 24 against the rear face of the barrel 11 and thereby secure the pocket clip 24 in place upon assembly with the barrel 11.

The latch means proper comprises a composite operating member having a plunger component 25 and a latch component 26. The plunger component 25 is formed with a rear manually accessible portion 27 projecting rearwardly as a push button through the annular llange l22 of the cover cap 13. At the base of this rear portion 27, the plunger component 25 is shouldered at 28 in opposed relation to the inner face of the cover cap ange 22, and abutment of the plunger component shoulder 28 at the inner face of the cover cap ange 22 defines the retracted position for the latch means. Below the abutment -shoulder 28, the plunger component 25 has an intermediate portion 29 slidably fitting the cover cap 13; and below this intermediate portion 29, the plunger component 25 extends in reduced diameter to an abutment shoulder 30 for the bias spring 19, and then in further reduced diameter to a forwardly extending clutch portion 31 shaped to grip the rear end of the ink tube 14 for exerting endwise projecting pressure thereon and for carrying the ink tube 14 therewith to retracted position. In addition, the plunger component 25 is slotted intermediately of its length to provide a longitudinal recess 32 extending for wardly at one side thereof below the abutment shoulder 28 to a lateral channel 33 extending therethrough and forming a forwardly projecting fulcrlum portion 34 therein.

'I'he latch component 26 of the composite operating member is formed as a lever element nestable within the slotted portion of the plunger component 25. This lever element forming the latch `component 26 has a lateral olset 35 at one end extending in the lateral plunger component channel 33 for lateral rocking or shifting about the fulcrum portion 34, and an oppositely disposed lateral offset 36 at the other end for engaging a lateral aperture 37 arranged in the cover cap 13 as a keeper for the latch component 26 when the plunger component 25 is depressed to move the ink tube 14 and ball point element 15 to projected position.

At this projected position, the lateral latch offset 36 is moved to engage the lateral cover cap aperture 37 by the bias spring 19 acting at a hook shaped lip 3S formed on the extending end of the other lateral latch component olset 35 that is disposed within the lateral plunger component channel 33. In this way, the force of the bias spring 19 is exerted about the plunger component fulcrum portion 34 to maintain the latch component 26 always biased away from its nested position, while at the same time biasing the plunger component 25 rearwardly in the cover cap 13 to exert a pressure through the plunger component 25 directed angularly with respect to the longi-v tudinal axisofl pen 1'0"'for maintaining the latch componi ent ZGengaged at theY covercapeaperture-r 37;

i The lateral latch otfset 36 is proportioned to extend through the cover cap aperture 37 when engaged therewitl'rfas indi-cated bythelfuli line position sirown'inrFi'gs. I, 2 ,andj 3', so-'th'atit becomes:mannallyaccessibie'upon suclrengagement Vfor' release whenever desired;- release' being effected 4sirnpl'yj hypressiirg'the extending end *of5 theelateral" offset 36 inwardiy of lthe hcover tcap *13* so that the'latlr component' Z6H assumes the broken line *positionV shown'in Fig; 3b at whichit is nestedlwith" the plunger componentj'ZS for *retraction within the. cover cap 13` under theforce obiasrsi'iring` Y 1 f TheV present' inventionhasbeen'described in'detail above forpurposes of illustration onliyfand'is not intendede'tofbe limited by this description' or otherwise except as Yd'eiincdV inthe-appended claims: Y Y

VIg'Aj retractable" bali penlatch means; comprising, in combination' witlr'a tubular barrelfand'zrbailv point and reservoirv unit slidably 'contained' therein for retracted' and5 proiected positioning, an Aassernlrtnly sleeve'j removably mounted` atthe rear end' of said"tubular barrel together` with a-rear cover cap tixedon said assemblysleeve and a. composite' operating' member slidably contained therein for positioning 'saidl ball point-and'reservoir unit', saidA operating''ni'en'rberV havingja' plunger component and a lat-ch; componentcarried thereon; said plunger Vcomponent projectingl forwardly as a clutch ,for releasably gripping said bailr point and reservoir unit and' rearwardly beyond said coverl cap' asian operating'push button and being slotteddntermedi'ately of its length to provide a longitudinah recess extendingforwardly at one vside'there'of to aI channel: extending laterally' therethrough `V and forming a forwardly proecting fulcrum portion' therein, said latch' component'being formedas a lever element nest'-v ablewithin 'the slotted portion of said plunger component andhavin'ga lateral offset at one end" extending in said lateral channel for` lateral rocking about said fulcrum portion andan oppositelyndisposed lateral otfsetat the otherend', anda compression spring carried by `said assemblyfsleeve vin opposition to forward slidingiof' said' operat# ing' member' :and to nesting rocking of said latch component, said' -cover cap' having a lateral aperture therein forming a'keeperfor engaging said oppositely disposedY offset' upon vforward sliding of said, operating member to proiect sai'dbali point' and" reservoir unit, and' said op i positely disposed onset being formed 'to extend through said cover capapeltureeupon- 'engagement therewith for manual release therefrom. Y Y Y Y 2. A retractable ballV pen latch means comprising, in combination with a tubular barrel and a ball point and reservoir unit slidably contained therein for retracted'and projected positioning, a composite operating member Vslidably contained at the rear end Vof said barrel for positioning said bail' point vand reservoir'unit; said'operating member having a plunger component and a latch cornponent carried thereon; saidfplunger componentextendingforwardly within said' barrel` for exerting projecting pressure-,on said balla point and; reservoir unitV and rearwardly beyondtsaid cover capas an Yoperatingrpush button, and

said plunger component'being'slottedintermediately of its of'said latch component;V sai'dbarrelbeing' formed for allowing lateral roeking'of said latch component by said spring and' fon-then; engaging said oppositely disposed offset upon forward sliding of said operating member tol project said lball'point and'reservoifr'unit.

References. Citedv in. thele of this patent ,I-JNrrED` sTATEs PATENTS 365,747 Hoffman Iune- 28, 1887 2,557,054 Mansheim Iune 12, 1951 2,583,142, Frentzel Ian. 22, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 26,407 Germany, Feb. 29, 1884 430,704 Italy Mar. 3, 1947 641,595 Great Britain Aug. 16, 1950 976,380 France Oct- 25, 1950 809,514 Germany July 30,v 1951 996,221 France Aug. 29, 1951 

